


Tinsel Troubles

by Cluemily



Series: Bearenting [2]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: And those Children are His, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Family Fluff, Gen, I'm Late So Just Pretend I'm Not, Impostor Brown (Among Us), Minis are Children, One of the Kids is an Impostor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cluemily/pseuds/Cluemily
Summary: Whoever said decorating a ship for the holidays was stress-free was a liar. In Brown's opinion, of course.
Relationships: Brown & Mini Crewmate (Among Us), Impostor & Mini Crewmate (Among Us)
Series: Bearenting [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123100
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Tinsel Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Uh so... you can kinda tell... this was supposed to be posted earlier than uh... now. But I wanted to finish it before everyone worldwide rolled into 2021 so here we are! A late Christmas fic! Ta-da!
> 
> I had other AU stories planned before this but I just wanted to write about these beans to try and ease myself into the setting and try to familiarise myself with it more. 
> 
> Uh, another note! Brown has a name, but I'm still debating on who I feel would use it. (If you're curious, it's Bearnard.)

“I appreciate the help, pal.”

Brown had lost count of how many times he had been thanked, the other man reminding him with every trip to storage and back for any bins marked with ‘Decorations’ that he appreciated the extra pair of strong arms to heft the boxes to the meeting table where the rest of the crew worked on sorting them out.

He gave a small hum of acknowledgement in reply, letting the two of them fall back into an awkward silence as he curiously dug through the box, examining a set of antlers that he unearthed. It wasn’t long until Brown caught Blue nervously fidgeting out of the corner of his eye, waiting on the awkward attempts at conversation to continue any moment now-

“So, uh, Brown. Don’t you feel Yellow’s went a little overboard with the decorations?”

There it was.

“Don’t know. I don’t usually decorate,” Brown replied with a shrug, jostling the box of decorations and sending something tinkling around inside, trying to carefully balance the box on one arm as he sat the antlers behind the bear ears already on his head – he wouldn’t trade one for the other, but they seemed festive enough.

Blue faltered in his steps, clearly surprised at this confession – even Brown could tell without seeing his face beyond the tinted visor. He quickly pulled himself together, quickening his pace to match with the other man once more.

“Really? That’s, uh, surprising,” Blue admitted, adjusting his grip on his lighter box as it slipped a little. Brown raised a brow, mouth slowly opening to ask the obvious question as to ‘why’ before Blue continued. “Your kids looked pretty excited to decorate, is all-” He shrugged. “-But not everyone celebrates, that’s fine. We still appreciate the extra pair of hands.” Ah, well that would be a good excuse. It was better than having to ever admit he didn’t celebrate in the past, usually due to a crew who were more likely to be mourning a loss over preparing for a holiday.

Blue was clearly running out of topics to pass the walk, tapping rhythmically on the box with the tips of their fingers to fill the silence with something – Brown wasn’t going to initiate a conversation, that much they’d worked out. “Speaking of your kids,” Blue began, catching Brown’s attention once more. “Are you sure it’s okay to just leave them alone back there? Storage isn’t really the best place for them to be unsupervised.”

He didn’t say it, but Brown knew he was implying that leaving them alone made them an easy target. Again, another thing he couldn’t just admit without giving away what he was – what two of the trio were. Instead he gripped his box of decorations that bit tighter and rocked his head to the side, wordlessly staring at Blue through the tinted visor until the man looked back.

“They’re not stupid. They’ll be fine.”

As if the universe was waiting for those magic words, their conversation was interrupted by a loud, metallic thud behind them followed by a muffled shriek and much clearer wailing. Blue hadn’t even gottena word out to ask what that was before Brown was turning and shoving his heavier box on top of Blue’s own, leaving the crewmate stumbling and confused as the other crewmate quickly walked back the way they had came. All Blue could do was yell a few expletives and try to steady himself.

Brown slowed as he entered storage, feeling some relief at the fact it seemed no one else had been drawn to the sound just yet – not when under the shrieks and wails of two distressed children, one had an off quality to it. Some might not notice at first, but when you were in the same room Brown was sure even a human could tell something wasn’t right.

Even if he didn’t already know where to look, the cries were easy enough to find the source of – a small child in a brown suit pushing against one of the heavier boxes they’d yet to move whilst it seemed to rattle from an entirely other force from within. Brown would have liked paused for longer, so to work out what had happened, but he didn’t have the time and instead gently directed the one visible child behind him, to cling to the pale leg of the suit he wore over his regular brown one, and easily lifted the metal crate, revealing a writhing mess of tinsel, strings of lights and all other manner of easily tangled decorations – and they were all tangled around his missing second child.

Realising they were no longer trapped under the box, they seemed to begin their struggles anew, trying to wriggle away even as they were scooped up, decorations and all.Every slight movement seemed to tangle them further into the mess, encouraging their further struggles until Brown became aware of how limp the limbs of the suit hung as the form inside relocated entirely to the torso and head area, trying to find an escape. He growled softly at that, gently bouncing the mess in his arms to try and calm them for a moment. Of course it wouldn’t work, but there wasn’t much he could do here.

He fell silent, considering his options before tucking the tangled child close to his body and reaching his free hand to the other, still softly sniffling at his side. “Come on, Donn.” A quick examination told Brown that there was no way he could right this when anyone could walk in – surely Blue would have a few choice words for him soon, if they weren’t still trying to balance the two boxes. This was a higher priority than some sparkly plastic and colourful strings of lights.

But here he was, relocating to carefully de-tangle instead of simply ripping them free, telling himself that it was only because the two would be upset to realise the decorations they had tried to procure were damaged.

Brown made the decision to hide in Electrical; it was the nearest location with a door he could close and where the three had a quick escape available if need be, thanks to the vent around the back. That was where he settled down with his kids as the door shut behind them with a quick press of the tablet screen, dropping it to his side and lifting the tangled mess up for a better look now that he wouldn’t be interrupted.

He reached out a hand, suddenly sharp and much larger than a normal human’s, beginning to gently tug on various wires and glittering plasticwith the thin tip of a claw totry and gauge where the knots could be pulled loose without damaging any of it. It would have easy enough to work out, if not for the sudden renewed energy of the Impostor child as Brown pulled a wire around their torso a little too tightly for their comfort, losing track as the small body tried to twist out of his grip.

“Marron. Stay _still_ ,” Brown growled after losing a tangle he was so close to removing from a limb of the suit. Another whine and twist left the Impostor sighing and dropping his hand in frustration, looking to Donn, half hidden behind the barrier in the middle of electrical and worriedly looking on from a distance. Brown’s features softened behind the visor at that, sighing and reaching a hand out to his human son. “C’mere. Keep him calm, yeah?”

Donn seemed to hesitate, visor tilting to look at both Impostors, before slowly approaching. Once within arm’s reach Brown easily tugged the boy closer, gesturing to the other as if amused. “What a mess, right? Maybe Yellow can use him for a decoration.” He got a laugh for that one and an exaggerated shake of the head.

“You can’t do that! You gotta hang them on the walls!” Donn explained with barely contained laughter, the calmness of his father rubbing off on him though Brown could still tell he was concerned for his brother.

“Hang _him_ up?” Brown played dumb, lifting Marron and getting a few sounds of annoyance in response. It seemed his panic at being trapped earlier had turned into impatience now that he knew he was in safe hands yet still wasn’t free. Donn just laughed again and reached a hand out to the wires.

“No, these!” Donn tugged on one of the wires, eliciting another bout of flailing from his brother. “We hang these up!”

“Ah, I see. Let’s get him out, then.”

Brown made quick work of the tangled mess, now that Marron had settled into quietly pouting. And despite the absolute mess he had gotten himself into, freeing the menace was much easier than it had first seemed. It wasn’t long before Brown was tossing aside whole strings of fairy lights and fighting the small Impostor to keep them still while he finished. He gave up when there was only a couple loose wires hanging from the suit, releasing Marron and watching, bemused, as they squirmed the rest of the way out of their wire prison, his hands fighting with the release mechanism with the helmet right after.

The hiss of the helmet disconnecting was quickly followed by a translucent mass throwing itself into Brown’s arms, the Impostor not hesitating to bring the mass closer in some odd imitation of a hug, gently patting the amorphous mess as it shivered and made small noises that could almost be sobs, albeit very distorted ones.

“There there, you’re fine,” Brown mumbled, eyes closing for a moment until he felt a gentle tugging at his side. He didn’t even have to look, to know the other half of the pair didn’t want to feel left out, and he easily pulled them into the group hug with a sigh. “Just be careful next time.”

His only reply was silent nods in agreement. He grumbled, satisfied for now that they at least knew how dangerous that could have been if he hadn’t gotten there first, but for now he’d give them a moment to calm down in the darkness of Electrical.

Then they froze as the lock on the door finally gave up with a soft hiss and click of locks disengaging, the room inviting anyone to walk in on the small family at any moment.

Marron may not have been the most cooperative child on a good day but even they knew when to dart away, albeit reluctantly, and slip their form back into the neck of their suit, solidifying into a human enough shape to fill it out. Donn jumped to the floor soon after to let Brown rise to his feet, ears listening for any approaching footsteps and relaxing as it seemed no one had came looking for the trio – or maybe Blue was still trying to not topple over with the extra weight Brown had shoved on him. He didn’t really check Blue was balanced before running off.

Brown gave the young Impostor’s suit a once over, only letting them wander ahead to the exit once satisfied they’d put it back on correctly. He was close behind after gathering up the decorations, raising a brow as they arrived back in Storage and yet there was still no sign of Blue. Odd. He’d been abandoned long enough, Brown decided, righting the tipped crate and depositing the decorations back inside once more, deciding to bring it with them. Donn had taken to pulling Marron along with him ahead of their father, darting into the hall Blue had been abandoned in previously.

“Pa!” Donn called back down the hall, drawing Brown’s attention from the open box to look down the hall. That was when he paused, head tilted as he looked at the familiar blue suit of the crewmate he had previously abandoned. Blue had draped himself over the crates, barely having moved much further from the spot Brown left him. Maybe the boxes were heavier than he realised.

“...You want a hand?” Brown eventually chimed in, watching as the Crewmate froze before spinning around. He didn’t need to see Blue’s face to know he was not happy; maybe not furious but definitely exhausted.

“You…!” Blue sputtered, pointing a finger at the suited companion who had abandoned him. “Where did you go?!”

“Storage. They needed help,” Brown explained, waving a hand down to his sons who stared up at the upset Crewmate, visors tilted in confusion as they looked up at the other adult.

“Marron got stuck!” Donn chimed in helpfully, getting an embarrassed nudge from the child in question. “But Pa helped!”

Blue seemed to falter, any other complaints he had falling flat as he looked between the older one and his sons. Brown couldn’t help to smirk from under the helmet – he’d learned quickly that no one with a heart would stay mad at children; not unless they absolutely hated kids. It worked out in his favour, such as now to get him out of listening to Blue whine out a rendition of Yellow’s cheerful little speech about how ‘teamwork makes the dream work’, or something along those lines. Cute, but once was more than enough.

“Uh, let’s just get these boxes to the Cafeteria. I guess,” Blue eventually mumbled out, rubbing the side of his helmet and turning to glare at the boxes once more, eyeing Brown’s new addition soon after.

“I can take two. This isn’t heavy,” Brown lied, stacking the current box on top of his previous one and lifting the two together with almost no effort. Blue seemed happy with that, picking up their own box and the group of four began to march to Cafeteria once more. The kids ran ahead once they passed admin to the excited welcomes from some of the rest of the crew, Brown picking up Yellow asking them where their father was only for the pair of adults to finally come into sight.

“There you are! I was about ready to call an emergency meeting,” Yellow joked, shoving some boxes aside so they could add them to the stacks on the table. “Is there any more boxes?”

“Nope, Brown grabbed the last of them,” Blue replied, intentionally failing to mention the reason they took so long. But if no one asked Brown wasn’t inclined to tell.

“Brilliant,” Yellow cheered, hands clapping together as she pulled the nearest of the new boxes to her and started removing its contents. “Then let’s get this place decorated before lunch.”

The rest of the crew made various sounds of agreement, some more eager to dig into the decorations than others and begin the task of debating what would go where. Brown furrowed his brows, opting to instead sit at the table and join the small group de-tangling the decorations for the rest to collect when they needed them.

Marron quickly joined him to watch warily; he’d had quite enough of the decorations for the day, exhaustion from the earlier struggles finally hitting him, and Donn was quite happy to help enough for the both of them.

Brown felt the wave of relief wash over the crew as Yellow finally deemed the ship to be adequately decorated a couple hours later, the ravenous bodies seeking food and a place to finally sit down. Donn excitedly joined the other two members of his family, mouth running a mile a minute as he described everything he decorated in detail and who he was with in between mouthfuls of food. Brown’s own meal went untouched in favour of listening to Donn intently, only interjecting with the occasional question that his son was happy to answer until a long yawn finally interrupted him.

Marron wasn’t far behind, slumped against Brown’s side and entirely uninterested in summoning the energy to shift his appearance long enough in order to eat with the rest of the crew – it was a good thing he was more interested in sleepily looking down at his lap, the tinted visor assisting further in hiding any inhuman features from the crew who weren’t even paying attention in the first place.

But Brown decided that was enough, silently standing and scooping up both children who quickly fell limp in his hold. It only took a glance in his direction to catch on to the youngest of the crew having ran out of their almost boundless energy, the adults only giving silent waves and nods in thanks before the family unit retreated to their room.

After the heavy lifting and the unplanned stress of that day, Brown could do with an early night as well, he decided.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it, and do hopefully have more stuff planned, but I do have a dumb little [Ask Blog](https://ask-a-cluemate.tumblr.com) for my beans outside of my main Tumblr if you're interested in the meantime (Or you can reach me myself @cluemily on Tumblr!)! I was quiet over the holiday season but I'm getting it moving again soon.


End file.
